Wakizashi translation

[Benji]

I've been trying to find out more information about this wakizashi. I am hoping someone here can read it. I know it's difficult, I tried to do a rubbing and also write it out but couldn't get it. Thank you for any help.

[Benji]

[Benji]

[Benji]

[Benji]

[Sunny]

WOW !!!!! awesome blade man

Very cool.

Looks like it may be a date to a cutting test or event or sword made for someone.

I'm just a beginner though so I barely know any of the kanji.

It looks very cool though.

[Benji]

Thank you, I know very little myself especially about pre WW2. This one seemed strange to me because it was so curved. I actually didn't know it was signed until the day after I bought it. The handle was very hard to remove as it had rusted into the wood.

[Brian]

Interesting. Hmmm. I hope someone can make out enough to translate.

[uwe]

To start something…

 

It begins with:

“備後府中住(竹中?)國….” 

[kyushukairu]

The reading for 備後府中住竹中國~ is ‘Bingo Fuchū-jū Takenaka Kuni~‘

On the right hand column, it’s dated 1842 [Tenpo 13] (天保十三年). After that appears to be ？雁？？宗順君需

On the left begins with 作於江府本？本？香丸山邸百？？　

[Nobody]

I am not sure about the characters in red.

 

備後府中住竹中國虎- Bingo Fuchu ju Takenaka Kunitora

 

天保十三年▢月應▢▢守▢▢需 - Tenpo 13th year, ? month, responding to the order from "▢▢守▢▢"

作於江府本郷本藩丸山邸百........ - made at Maruyama-residence of this clan (Fukuyama-han) in Hongo of Edo

 

[kyushukairu]

Moriyama san, I thought the second character of the smith’s name had the radical  乇 or 宅 on the right. However, when I was searching for smiths with the surname 竹中 I also found Hikokuni. As he previously used a couple of aliases beginning with ‘Kuni’, is listed as being active two years after the date of this sword, and was active in Bingo, I assumed it was the same smith, but with a different alias - perhaps 國託/詫/托

[Sunny]

17 hours ago, Benji said:

Thank you, I know very little myself especially about pre WW2. This one seemed strange to me because it was so curved. I actually didn't know it was signed until the day after I bought it. The handle was very hard to remove as it had rusted into the wood.

Care to sell it ?

I had to ask ....this thing looks pretty cool and like I say the inscription on the left seems to be an event that is important.

Great find.

Cheers to you and thanks again for sharing.

[Sunny]

4 hours ago, kyushukairu said:

Moriyama san, I thought the second character of the smith’s name had the radical  乇 or 宅 on the right. However, when I was searching for smiths with the surname 竹中 I also found Hikokuni. As he previously used a couple of aliases beginning with ‘Kuni’, is listed as being active two years after the date of this sword, and was active in Bingo, I assumed it was the same smith, but with a different alias - perhaps 國託/詫/托

how ironic 

I just put up a tsuba for sale 20 minutes before reading this signed by Kunihiro ....very close to Kunihiko

Cheers 

[Benji]

Thank you everyone for your help, I really do appreciate it. It was driving me crazy not knowing what it said. I lightly cleaned it before I took the pictures but I didn't want to get anymore aggressive then I did. I know I could remove more of the thick scale rust with a pick. Should I leave it as it is or try to remove the thicker rust to see the rest of the writing?

[Benji]

14 minutes ago, Steven Edmund said:

Care to sell it ?

I had to ask ....this thing looks pretty cool and like I say the inscription on the left seems to be an event that is important.

Great find.

Cheers to you and thanks again for sharing.

Thank you for the offer but I want to keep it. The only other wakizashi I have is basically junk. As near as I can tell that one is made from a broken full length sword. 

[Sunny]

1 minute ago, Benji said:

Thank you for the offer but I want to keep it. The only other wakizashi I have is basically junk. As near as I can tell that one is made from a broken full length sword. 

thanks for answering and I get it.

I have a feeling this is very old and more rare than the usual blade from it's time.

I could be mistaken though.

Once again great find.

I'f you ever are thinking of selling shoot me a DM.

I'll be waiting 

[SteveM]

Leave it as it is. No need to get any more aggressive with cleaning. The translation meaning will not change much. 

 

You have the location, the name of the smith (well, at least a partial name), and you know the rest of the inscription is a dedication to the person/family who comissioned the sword and their location, as well as the date of the manufacture (1842). That is really much more than many people know about their own swords. Regarding the partial name, we know it is Takenaka Kuni-somebody from Fuchū in Bingō province. As Kyle shows, there is a record of a Takenaka Kunihiko from Fuchū in Bingō working around the same time your sword is dated. He also used a few other aliases, including Kunisaki and Kunitora. This is almost certainly your guy. For some reason the last kanji of the name on your sword is not really corresponding with the known names he used. Plus, it is hard to make out, and doesn't really look like the kanji for hiko, tora, or saki. So, we have to decide if that last kanji is just a super fanciful way of writing one of his known names, or if it is a kanji representing a name that has gone unrecorded (that we can't yet decipher). In any event, knowing that last kanji of the name will not change the appraisal of your sword. And trying to clean up that last bit carries the risk of damaging your sword for absolutely no appreciable gain. 

 

As always, the sword itself is the thing that gives it its value, and that value will not change no matter if that last kanji turns out to be tora, saki, or hiko. 

[Mark S.]

Steve has always helped me and been gracious with his knowledge and time… so I am not disagreeing with his advice on leaving the nakago alone… but I offer another opinion as well from another source… I do think active bright red rust is a concern.

 

https://blog.yuhindo.com/oil-your-nakago/
 

 

[Sunny]

6 minutes ago, Mark S. said:

Steve has always helped me and been gracious with his knowledge and time… so I am not disagreeing with his advice on leaving the nakago alone… but I offer another opinion as well from another source… I do think active bright red rust is a concern.

 

https://blog.yuhindo.com/oil-your-nakago/
 

 

Maybe giving it a once over dabbing with a soft cloth after fine art sable haired brushing the tang with non toxic rust removal and protector for a few minutes.

That will stop the spread of further rust in its tracks, take away the access rust particles/dust/dirt and protect the tang from further problems with humidity and moisture with out changing anything ? 

i could be way off though.

[Benji]

I've been fighting rust most of my life, always living around salt water means oxidation is just a part of life. Desiccant packs and airtight containers are how I deal with it for most things.